Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid will start his official visit to India on Wednesday, the first since winning the 76th presidency of the United Nations General Assembly. The visit came on an invitation from the Indian government.

Putting out a tweet in which he informed about his visit to India, Shahid is expected to pay courtesy calls on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will hold talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. He will also be meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla. 

Shahid, with the backing of India, won the UNGA presidency in June this year. He has already made appointments to his team, including India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, K Nagaraj Naidu as his Chef de Cabinet. 

He is also scheduled to deliver the 38th Sapru House Lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs on Friday, reported Raajje TV. 

The visit came at a time when the rift within the Maldives’ main ruling party, the MDP, has been widening with each passing day, threatening the instability of the government considered friendly by India. 

Speaker Nasheed and President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih, the two senior-most leaders of the party, are at the loggerheads, with the former calling on the country’s main opposition party, the PPM, to form a new government. 

(SAM)